Sixteen years ago, I attended
the IdeaBiellacloth fair in
Cernobbio on Lake Como. Showcasing the best mills of the Biella
region, it was an incredibly elegant affair that attracted the
world’s top designers and buyers. Of course, back then there was no
social media to capture the occasion (photography was banned
anyway) but I recall the show stopping for lunch and everyone
strolling to the nearby Villa Erba for an excellent leisurely meal
with the attendees dressed in beautifully tailored suits that would
knock spots off the Pitti peacocks.

When the show moved to Milan
over ten years ago it was greeted with dismay but combining the
show with Shirt Avenue and Moda to create Milano Unicahas ensured its survival. Now in
its 25thseason it is a commercial success with growth
in both the number of exhibitors and visitors. It’s also a
celebration of the world’s best textiles with top UK mills such as
Dormeuil, Fox Brothers and Marling & Evans exhibiting alongside
Loro Piana, Ermenegildo Zegna and Guabello.

The Vitale Barberis Canonico
stand is always inspiring and this season they had an engaging
range of displays inspired by the animal drawings of Albertus Seba.
As “the designer behind the designer”, VBC understands the needs of
the world’s best artisans and creates fabrics with integrity and
authenticity. Their ‘21 micron’ wool champions more robust cloths
and heavier weights. This season it’s realised in a new suiting
quality combining both worsted and woollen yarns to create three
dimensional textures. In both traditional and modern designs, it is
a surefire hit.

Cerruti had a strong jacket game
as Sales Director Umberto Paccotto believes, “The jacket is the new
formal” with many soft knitted effects and a pure cashmere denim
that perfectly captures the current mood in luxury menswear.
Charles Clayton, the Yorkshire mill and weaver of rare fibres, was
showcasing a 4-ply super 160s worsted that would make a fine luxury
travel blazer. They have also been innovating with coarser count
yarns but made with finer microns to create cloths with character
and depth. I am a fan of this style of weaving but understand it
can often be difficult to relay this message to the consumer. I
describe it as making a cheeseburger with fillet steak and a
vintage Parmigiano. They probably wouldn’t. Their sister mill,
William Halstead, is justly famous for their kid mohairs but is
also offering a substantial 580g ‘double hopsack’ that is just
screaming to be tailored into a peacoat.

With the AW18 show earlier than
before, canny retailers can bring new cloths to market sooner,
particularly if they offer bespoke or made-to-measure. Cerruti’s
new bunch of travel cloths called iTravel featured high-twist,
water-resistant fabrics which were available in a range of colours
and designs that would lift the dullest of airport departure
lounges. No winter collection is complete with a viewing of Fox
Brothers though. As well as their world-class flannels, this season
updated with shades of chestnut, they have a new bunch of 360g
2-ply jacketing with an open, dry handle. When realised in a
partly-lined softly structured garment it could provide ten-month
wear in a temperate climate. The designs are refreshingly bold with
a dogtooth pattern being the house favourite. It was great to see
Dashing Tweeds in Milan, the London-based brand specialising in
creating urban fabrics with unique colours and texture that combine
traditional weaving with modern technical yarns. And whilst I miss
the days of the show at Lake Como, particularly on a sweltering
July day, the larger Milan show has allowed brands such as Dashing
Tweeds to participate and give the event more character.

The Shirt Avenue section of
Milano Unica is becoming a misnomer as the world’s top cotton mills
are creating fabrics with uses beyond just shirts. Canclini, for
example, makes cotton corduroys that are tailored into the softest
and most comfortable of suits by Italy’s best makers. The feeling
for shirts for AW18 was still for texture but with a little more
colour coming through in shades of pink, wine and greens.

After a few days at the show,
visitors will have seen literally thousands of fabrics in new and
archive qualities and designs. Yet despite the seemingly endless
choices available, some will still need to find that absolutely
perfect fabric and go ‘off menu’. Jake Grantham, Co-Founder of
Anglo Italian for example, is “looking at collections differently
now” and is commissioning more exclusive pieces. Hopefully without
“fuck you” woven into the stripe.